This text charts the asymmetry and instability of New Labour's constitutional "settlement" and records changes in public attitudes and national identity. The book covers Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, England, intergovermental regions, Westminster and the London assembly. It covers the second year of devolution in the UK, bringing together the work of a five-year research programme funded by the Leverhulme Trust. The programme comprises 11 research projects that bring out the dynamics of devolution.

Questions on the nature of concepts in philosophy, psychology, and cognitive science, such as 'What are concepts?' and 'What is it to possess a concept?' are notoriously difficult to answer. For example, are concepts abstract mind-independent objects in some Platonic or Fregean sense, or are they better understood as mental representations, such as constituents of thoughts? A common view in cognitive science is that thought is based on word-like mental representations; some say that possessing a concept C involves demonstrating some kind of ability with respect to C's. But which ability? Other longstanding issues concern a proper theory of the structure of concepts. These questions are tackled here by Simon Baron-Cohen, Peter Carruthers, and a distinguished cast of other scientists and philosophers.

This book explores the future of devolution, by examining the new political dynamics devolution has put into play. These concern devolution's operation and impact - how devolution has altered politics in the parts of the UK that experience devolution and in the UK as a whole. Chapters examine the key topics in devolution, and examine the interplay between institutional change and social, economic and political forces (both those that existed before devolution and those brought into being by it). This interplay creates scope for varying forms of change, but what that change means varies from topic to topic. In some cases - such as Wales - institutional issues remain to the fore, while in others - such as Scotland - pressures for institutional change are relatively limited but the devolved institutions create scope for new political factors to come into play. The book is written by members of the Constitution Unit and leading experts from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

This book represents the fruits of a four-year collaboration between top constitutional lawyers from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and leading researchers in UCL's Constitution Unit. The book opens with detailed studies of law making in the period 1999-2004 in the Scottish Parliament and the Assemblies in Wales and Northern Ireland, and how they interact with Westminster. Later contributions look at aspects of legislative partnership in the light of the UK's strongly asymmetric devolutionary development, and also explain the unexpected impact of devolution on the courts. Further chapters examine the interplay of continuity and change in political, administrative and legal practice, and the competing pressures for convergence and divergence between the different parliaments and assemblies.